"Then he called his twelve disciples together, and gave them power and authority over all devils, and to cure diseases" – Luke 9.1 (AV)

On this first day of another new month, and indeed the last month of the year, it is good for us to be reminded of the fact that we have been given power and authority over all devils and sicknesses.  Some have said that this power was only given to the disciples for this occasion, and these same people deny signs and wonders today.  If you’re going to accept Mark 16.15 as Jesus mission to the church today, then you also have to accept Mark 16.17-18 as part of that mission.  These twelve disciples were given the power and authority by Jesus to preach the Word, to heal the sick, and cast out demons.  This authority was never removed from them and it perpetuated down from one generation of the church to another.  The church may have later stifled it and tried to prevent people from using that authority, but nevertheless it still remains.  You have the power and authority over devils; you have the power and authority to cure sickness and disease.  Now we must remember that the power is not of ourselves, it is invested in us by God Himself, and we have to move in that power and authority by faith and the anointing.  The Bible says in Mark 16.17 that these signs and wonders would ‘follow those who believe’. That doesn’t mean just believing in Jesus; you must also believe in the power of the name of Jesus; believe that you have received the power and authority; and believe that when you act in that authority that these things will obey.

Suggested Additional Reading:   Mark 16.15-20; Luke 9.1-6

"Behold, the righteous shall be recompensed in the earth: much more the wicked and the sinner" – Proverbs 11.31 (AV)

Did you notice what this verse says?  ‘The righteous shall be recompensed in the earth’.  Where?  This is not talking about heaven or the future life, this is talking about the here and now.  Recompense is coming – blessing and prosperity for the righteous, and judgment for the wicked and sinner, and both will receive their recompense in the earth.  There is a recompense when we get to heaven – a crown of righteousness, but there is also a recompense now.  Let’s take a brief look at this chapter and see what recompense we can expect in the earth, here and now:  Deliverance from death (v4); Direction (v5); Deliverance (v6); Deliverance from trouble (v8); Promotion (v11); A sure reward (v18); Life (v19); Fruitfulness (v21); Goodness (v23); Prosperity and Increase (v24-25); Favour (v27); and Growth (v28).   Confession: Today is my day of recompense – the blessings of God are being given to me today.  Deliverance, direction, prosperity, promotion, favour, a sure reward and a flourishing life are mine right here on earth, right here and right now.

"For as the rain comes down, and the snow from heaven, And do not return there, But water the earth, And make it bring forth and bud, That it may give seed to the sower And bread to the eater, So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, But it shall accomplish what I please, And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it." – Isaiah 55.10-11 (NKJV)

In the very early days of my ministry, long before I had even heard of ministries such as Kenneth Copeland and Kenneth Hagin, God used this verse to teach me about the integrity of His Word, and I have been preaching that ever since.   The Word that ‘goes forth from My mouth’ indicates a SPOKEN word, not an intellectual thought or idea but an audible, spoken word - that’s the type of Word that is effective.  The Bible says that ‘faith cometh by hearing’; you can only hear something that is audible.  That’s the reason why confession of the Word is so good for you – when you speak it out loud and hear what you say with your own ears, faith comes, your faith is established, your faith is strengthened;  then soon it becomes not just a confession but rather a statement of your faith – and that brings results.  That type of Word ‘will not return ..void [without producing any effect]’ (see Amplified).  When God spoke it produced results; God’s Word is effective, is active, is always working and accomplishing it’s purpose.  God’s Word is living, powerful and effective (Hebrews 4.12) – Speak it out today.

Suggested Additional Reading:   Isaiah 55.8-13; Hebrews 4.1-16

"Wait on the LORD, And keep His way, And He shall exalt you to inherit the land; When the wicked are cut off, you shall see it" – Psalm 37.34 (NKJV)

There is a lot of talk amongst Christians about claiming and inheriting the land.  A few days ago I mentioned about the victory God has given us over all the power of the enemy, and many people will say Amen to that.  They want the power over the enemy, they want to be able to bind the demons and claim and inherit land, cities and town.  This power and authority comes at a cost; You have to wait on the Lord and keep His way, you have to spend time with God.  God will raise you up to inherit the land but there must be that time alone with Him.  I have always been impressed with Joshua, in fact there are three main characters in the Old Testament that I always like to read about and he is one of them – they are Abraham, Joshua and David.  In the Bible it says that God raised up Joshua to be the leader of God’s people after Moses.  It was Joshua that led the people of God into the Promised Land, it was under Joshua’s leadership that the people inherited the land and had great victories over their enemies.  Have you ever wondered what Joshua did before we read about him as leader?  Joshua was one of the twelve spies that Moses sent into Canaan; Joshua was one of the two spies that returned from that mission with a good report.  He had a right spirit, a spirit of faith in God; where did he get that spirit?  He served Moses a long time; he spent time with Moses and when Joshua wasn’t with Moses he was waiting on God.  There is a verse in Exodus 33.11 that says Joshua stayed in the presence of God: “And the Lord spoke to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend. Moses returned to the camp, but his minister Joshua son of Nun, a young man, did not depart from the [temporary prayer] tent” (Amplified).  Wait on the Lord, keep His way, and He shall exalt you to inherit the land.

"And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth" – John 1.14 (NKJV)

Now that we are into December our thoughts will soon turn to Christmas.  Already for some weeks the shops have been decorated and some homes are already decked out with trees and lights.  We live in a very secular world which rarely has any time for God but at this time of the year folk are more open to the things of God.  Yes Christmas time has become for most an opportunity for commercialism and merriment, but amidst all the present buying, the decorations let’s turn our thoughts to this verse today.  For this is what Christmas is all about – there is a saying which is often quoted at this time of year “Jesus is the reason for the season”.  The Word became flesh and dwelt among us; God Himself took on human flesh and came among us.  This is an often quoted verse in our church and sometimes I think because we say these verses so frequently we can quickly overlook the revelation they contain.  God’s Word put on flesh, and Jesus was manifest to the world.  Everything that God is and God said was wrapped up in a body – Jesus.  The Word spoken in faith will put on flesh and become the manifestation that you are believing for.  Next time you see some Christmas lights, trees or decorations, even if they depict snowmen, Santa’s or reindeer; look beyond them to Jesus, the Light of the World, the Tree of Life, the Word made flesh.

"But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting" – Micah 5.2 (AV)

About 700 years before the birth of Jesus, God spoke through the prophet Micah saying ‘out of Bethlehem will come forth one to be ruler in Israel’.  He states that his goings forth have been everlasting, in other words this ruler will be God.  We saw yesterday that the Word of God became flesh and dwelt among us.  This word spoken by the prophet came to pass, it actually put on flesh.  Now this didn’t occur in Micah’s lifetime, 700 years elapsed before the coming of that great event, but it does show us the love and mercy of God who was preparing ahead of time the need of a Saviour.   Notice how God chose the least and insignificant place for the birth of Jesus – He was not born in the palaces or of nobility which would have made Him inaccessible to the ordinary man.  He was born in a lowly place, a place of no reputation, where all could relate to Him.  That’s God’s mercy in action, reaching out to the poor, the low, the insignificant according to this worlds system; and raising them up.  Thank God for His love and mercy toward you today, He has brought you out of sin and lifted you into glorious liberty. This has all been made possible because Jesus came.

Suggested Additional Reading:   Micah 5.1-9

"He said, "What business do you have sleeping? Get up. Pray so you won't give in to temptation."" – Luke 22.46 (The Message)

In these few verses we see Jesus and His disciples go out to the Garden of Gethsemane on the Mount of Olives. This event took place just an hour or so after the Last Supper when Jesus broke bread with them.  The disciples, not to mention Jesus, were about to face their greatest trial and Jesus told them to pray, pray and pray.  When Jesus returned them a little while later He found them sleeping; He woke them and said to them ‘Pray so you won’t give in to temptation’.  Why would Jesus say that prayer would help prevent us from giving in to temptation?  Prayer would see these disciples through the days of trial they were about to face.  In times of testing and trial we need to stay in close communication with the Father.  The things we learn through the good times and easier times need to be brought back to our remembrance in order that we might be sustained through tough times.  We cannot give in to temptation that easily if we are close and intimate with the Father.  Prayer is dialogue; we need to hear our survival instructions for those testing times.  We need to hear God’s Word for the situation so we can put our faith to work.  Prayer is also listed as one of the weapons of our warfare in Ephesians 6 with which we come against the forces of darkness.  So next time you are sorely tempted, get on your knees and PRAY; PRAY, and PRAY again.

Suggested Additional Reading:   Ephesians 6.10-20

"The fear of the LORD tendeth to life: and he that hath it shall abide satisfied; he shall not be visited with evil." – Proverbs 19.23 (AV)

The Fear of the Lord refers to the worshipful reverence and holy awe that Christians have of the Lord.  It is not the deathly fear that attacks life that many have, such as where one thinks that if we make a mistake that the wrath of God will fall on us like lightning.  This verse tells us that the fear of the Lord tendeth to life; most other translations replace this word with ‘leads’ so that the phrase reads ‘the fear of the Lord leads to life’.  However the word ‘tends’ always implies to me that somebody is taking care and looking after me or that something is well kept.   My grandfather used to tend his garden beautifully; whenever you went to his house, whether it was in the height of summer or during winter, it was well looked after.  What we mean when we say ‘tend’, as in the case of my grandfather is that he kept the lawns mowed, the roses pruned, the garden is neat and tidy and the flower beds weed free.  He used to spend hours in the greenhouse pollinating the tomatoes with a child’s paintbrush or ensuring that the vegetable seedlings were planted out in straight drills.  The fear of the Lord will take real good care of your life. This verse says that the one who has the fear of the Lord tending his life “shall abide satisfied” or will be content and satisfied to the full.  Satisfied means to be no longer in want.  Listen to this verse from the Amplified: “The reverent, worshipful fear of the Lord leads to life, and he who has it rests satisfied; he cannot be visited with [actual] evil.”.

Suggested Additional Reading:   Ecclesiastes 8.12;  Ecclesiastes 12.1-14

"As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him" – Colossians 2.6 (NKJV)

The few verses surrounding this one are loaded with revelation; As we wait on the Lord today, open your heart to receive from Him.  Verse 6 says: as you have received Christ Jesus so walk in Him.  We have already seen recently that Jesus is the Word made flesh; His name is the Word.  I am going to take the liberty of translating the name Jesus or any reference to Him with ‘the Word’ in the verses of this chapter.  So we could translate this verse as ‘as you have received the Word so walk in the Word’.  What we have received we should walk in, live in, conduct ourselves in.  Then it goes on in verse 7 to say that we are rooted and built up in the Word and established in faith (that comes from hearing the Word) and abounding in the Word with thanksgiving.  Then we come to verse 8 where we read a warning lest anyone cheat us out of what the Word will do for us.  How are we cheated?  Through philosophy, empty deceit (false promises), tradition (we’ve always done it that way) and the basic principles of the world (see verses 20-23).  In the Word dwells all the fullness of God (vs9) and we are made complete in the Word (vs10).  Paul says later in verse 18 “Let no one cheat you of your reward” – there is great reward in keeping the Word of God, so as you have received the Word so walk in it.

"My covenant I will not break, Nor alter the word that has gone out of My lips" – Psalm 89.34 (NKJV)

In this psalm we read that God is a covenant God.  He has cut covenant with man, “I have made a covenant with My chosen” (v3). Actually the Bible that you are holding is divided into two covenants, the Old Covenant and the New Covenant.  The Old covenant was made with His people through Abraham, Moses and others and was ratified with the blood of bulls and lambs.  The New covenant was made with you and me through Jesus and was ratified with Jesus’ blood.  Because Jesus ratified the covenant with His own blood, it can never be revoked.  It stands sure and steadfast; God adds that He will not break that covenant; He won’t even alter one word of what He has spoken.  He means what He says and He says what He means.  Someone may want to stop just there and lift your hands and voice and give thanks to God.  If you will get the revelation that this one verse is loaded with it will change your life forever.  God cannot and will not break His Word.

"And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God." – Mark 11.22 (AV)

If there is one message that is attacked more than anything else it is the faith message -  It’s opponents are many.  Most people that fight faith are doing so without really understanding what faith is.  Jesus explicitly tells us in this verse to have faith in God.  In another Scripture it says that anything that is not of faith is sin (Romans 14.23).  Anything and everything you need or desire from God is received by faith; be it salvation and forgiveness of sins, a healing touch in your body, wisdom or guidance, provision of needs, outpouring of the Holy Spirit or a word from God to minister to someone else to mention just a few.  Faith in its simplest form is trusting God, trusting what He says in His Word.  Yesterday we noted that God cannot break His Word nor alter that which has already been spoken.  So whatever God has said you can trust with your whole life, no matter how difficult or overwhelming that can be.  Jesus taught us in this chapter that by putting your faith in Him can overcome any circumstance – large difficult circumstances can be moved.  Read through Hebrews 11 ans see what the patriarchs achieved, accomplished and received by faith.  What are you going to trust God for today?

"For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he… " – Proverbs 23.7 (AV)

I want to deal with something that I have not heard many preachers preach on – that is perception.  The perception that you have of yourself will control your environment – as a man thinketh in his heart, so is he.  There were a group of people in the Old Testament that had a bad perception of themselves and it cost them the blessing of their inheritance, let’s take a look at them.  In Numbers 13.33 it says “And there we saw the giants, the sons of Anak, which come of the giants: and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight”.  Their perception of themselves was that of grasshoppers, note the verse says ‘in our own sight’.  That’s how they viewed themselves; rather than the mighty conquering army that God said they would be but as grasshoppers.  There was another man, his name was Gideon; God visited him and told him that he was a mighty man of valour who would save his people from the Midianites.  Listen to his response – “Oh my Lord, wherewith shall I save Israel? behold, my family is poor in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father's house” (Judges 6.15).  Christians all the time have a low perception of themselves, they say things like ‘I’m so unworthy’; ‘I’m just a nobody’.  That perception cost that generation of  Israelites their inheritance in the Promised Land, Gideon’s perception changed as he pondered the word of God and he was victorious.  You never see Jesus putting Himself down, He knew who He was and spoke accordingly, He said “I and My Father are one”, “I am the Good Shepherd”, “I am the Bread of Life”; He always spoke well of Himself.  Listen to me saint of God, you are a child of the King of kings, the Lord God Himself, so stop thinking grasshopper thoughts, arise and take your rightful position.

"And David spake to the men that stood by him, saying, What shall be done to the man that killeth this Philistine, and taketh away the reproach from Israel? for who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?" – 1 Samuel 17.26 (AV)

Yesterday we began to think about the perception we have of ourselves and we saw the examples of the Israelites that lost the blessing because of their ‘grasshopper mentality’.  Today I want to look at another example of someone who knew who he was in God.  He had a right perception and it blessed him all the days of his life, that man was David.  David asks ‘who is this uncircumcised Philistine?’, in other words he said who is this man without a covenant.  As you read on in the story, you will see David speaking with King Saul and he continues in the same way. 'This Philistine will be as the bear and lion that came to attack my fathers sheep, I have already defeated them and I will do the same to him'.  David was a man with the right perception of himself, not in his own strength but in God.  Where did he learn that, the same place that all that revelation came from that’s penned down in the psalms.  What do you think David did while he was watching over those flocks? He wasn’t playing games or shooting dice; He was a worshipper, a man who spent time alone with God; God was with him and he knew it.  God said of David that he was a man after His own heart.  Would you like God to say that of you? , then you’re going to have to change your perception, that won’t come overnight, it takes time spent alone with God.

Suggested Additional Reading:   1 Samuel 17.20-52

"Is there no balm in Gilead? Is there no physician there? Why then is not the health of the daughter of my people restored? [Because Zion no longer enjoyed the presence of the Great Physician!]" – Jeremiah 8.22 (Amplified)

‘Is there no balm in Gilead?’ the prophet asks.  Gilead was renowned for its medicinal plants, it was famed for its production of a healing balm which it exported to other nations.  Yet the people were suffering, there was no healing for their sicknesses and troubles.  Just two verses earlier they were rehearsing their complaint: “The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and we are not saved”.  They had been through the harvest time, they had been through the summer months and still there was no food to eat.  Earlier in the chapter it says that there will be no grapes on the vines, nor figs on the fig trees.  They had gone away from God and the blessing was no longer working for them; that’s why there was no health for them.  The Amplified Bible puts it like this: “Because Zion no longer enjoyed the presence of the Great Physician”.  There is no place like the presence of the Lord.  Psalm 91 promises great protection, health, salvation and deliverance but it starts off by telling us where all that can be found – in the secret place of the Most High God.  Get off into the presence of God today, get under His wings where you’ll find healing power (Malachi 4.2).

"And I will put enmity between you and the woman, And between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, And you shall bruise His heel" – Genesis 3.15 (NKJV)

Although most of us will have already got our gifts bought and sent our cards out; It’s about now that we really turn our focus on Christmas. We will begin to attend carol concerts and think about the coming of Jesus as a baby to Bethlehem.   This great event that we will celebrate over the next two weeks did not begin with the angel Gabriel announcing to a young Mary that she was about to conceive, but way back in the Garden of Eden.  As soon as man sinned and fell, God began to speak forth His plan concerning the coming of Messiah.  He told Satan (the serpent) that the seed of a woman would bruise his head.  I was reading a book by Kenneth Hagin a few days ago; he said that in Oriental languages, the term ‘bruising the head’ meant to break the lordship of a ruler.  Jesus was coming to break that rulership that Adam had just relinquished to Satan.  Now Jesus didn’t come physically as a baby for approximately another 4000 years, but all that time God was consistently speaking forth the coming of Messiah, He spoke through prophets, priests, kings and angelic beings getting the word that Jesus was coming into the earth.  Then when the time was right God spoke to a young girl called Mary, she believed the word and the connection was made in faith – and Jesus came.  God consistently spoke the word until the manifestation of Jesus appeared in the earth.  Friend, brother, sister, let me encourage you to be consistent in speaking the word of promise until you see the manifestation.  Even when it looks totally impossible and way out continue to speak the word, hold fast to your confession – your reward, the full manifestation will have to come.

"A man shall be satisfied with good by the fruit of his mouth: and the recompence of a man's hands shall be rendered unto him" – Proverbs 12.14 (AV)

We touched on yesterday the reward or the benefits that come by being consistent with your confession.  This isn’t, as some have labelled it, ‘name it and claim it’ or ‘blab it and grab it’.  This is a Scriptural principle that activates the blessing of God in your life.  This verse declares that a man’s words will satisfy him with good, so long as they are good words of course.  We have said many times before, that words are like seeds.  Seeds are not trees, but they contain everything that is needed to produce a tree.  Your words contain everything that is needed to shape and fashion your life and bring what is needed to pass.  Look at some of the other verses found in this chapter (verses 17-19; 22; 25).  These verses tell us about the power that there are in your words.  This is not something that should be brushed aside and only considered when you feel spiritual or at church, you need to be consistently speaking God’s promises over your life – your words are a matter of life and death.  Proverbs 18.21 says ‘death and life are in the power of the tongue’.  Many years ago the Lord spoke to me while I was meditating on this verse and said ‘the reason this theme keeps coming up in the Scriptures is because your words are your greatest weapon.  My people need to be taught to use their words for good’.  I’ve committed myself to teach this Word and these principles to everyone that I can.  Read and take time over Proverbs 10 and Proverbs 12, don’t rush them, pray over them and allow the Spirit of God to give you revelation on the power of your words.  Go over them time and again, spend some of your Christmas holiday going over these Scriptures until they are embedded in your spirit.

"For You, O LORD, will bless the righteous; With favour You will surround him as with a shield" – Psalm 5.2 (NKJV)

This is a great confession of Scripture which we can declare today.  The Lord blesses the righteous with His favour.  It surrounds us, encompasses us, the favour of God hedges us in.  That's what Job enjoyed and the reason He was so blessed, why don't you turn up that first chapter of Job today and see how blessed he was.  The favour and blessing of God surrounded him and caused him to prosper.   You too are righteous; you may not feel that way at this moment in time, but the Word declares that because of the death of Jesus you have become the righteousness of God.  This is not something that you will become when you get to heaven, this is a reality today for every born-again child of God.  Jesus took your sin nature and nailed it to the cross, in return He gave you His righteousness nature - I like to call that the Divine Exchange.   Neither is this righteousness based on what you do - it is your nature. Just because you might commit a sin that doesn't take away your nature of righteousness.  Therefore because you are righteous God blesses you with His favour.  At this time of the year we decorate our homes with various Christmas decorations, tinsel and lights.  We deck our homes with these colourful decorations, and that's similar to what God does with us.  He decks us with His favour and blessing.  Listen to this verse from The Message translation: "You are famous, GOD, for welcoming God-seekers, for decking us out in delight" (The Message).  Make this confession today:  "I am the righteousness of God because of Christ Jesus and therefore I am blessed.  God surrounds me and decks me with His favour and grace.  It is all around me like a shield, protecting me and causing the blessing to work in my life"

"A word fitly spoken and in due season is like apples of gold in settings of silver" – Proverbs 25.11 (Amplified)

I want you to get a picture in your mind of what this might be like.  Imagine a half-dozen golden apples, look at them, note the leaf and stalk, notice the golden sheen.  What about the gold itself, is it solid gold or a transparent gold?  Now imagine these apples being placed into a silver bowl or or on a silver platter.  How does this look?  Amazing?  The gold and silver compliment one another - the silver highlights the gold, and yet at the same time the gold intensifies the silver.  The Lord says that a word fitly spoken and in due season is like this silver bowl of golden apples.  A goodly word spoken at the correct time is like 'apples of gold in settings of silver'.  I don't know whether there is any other significance to the apples of gold other than what would have been a beautiful table ornament.  It was most certainly something that Solomon would have seen in his house for him to remark on it, perhaps he received it as a gift from someone he loved dearly.  A good word in due season is as a precious gift - well received and embraced.  Use your words for good today, be an encouragement and blessing.  There are several other references in this chapter to good words or timely words, meditate upon them today.

"You who are named the house of Jacob: "Is the Spirit of the LORD restricted? Are these His doings? Do not My words do good To him who walks uprightly?" – Micah 2.7 (NKJV)

Anyone who is a regular reader of these devotionals will know that I regularly share about the trustworthiness of the Word of God; and here is another Scripture that exalts the Word.   The Lord asks His people 'Is the Spirit of the Lord restricted?', you may well answer 'of course not' and to some extent you are right. There are no restrictions placed on the Spirit of God except those that you and I put on Him.  You can see His acts of power everywhere you look, but some want to restrict Him to work only according to their agenda.  They want Him to work in a particular way - don't put any restrictions on Him.  We are urged in the Scriptures 'do not quench the Spirit' (1 Thessalonians 5.19). God's Word does good to those who walk uprightly, it is totally trustworthy.  The Spirit desires to bring that Word into fulfilment if you will let Him. We restrict Him by speaking contrary to God's Word.  Look at what happened in creation, every part of the Godhead was actively involved;  God the Father spoke forth the Word (the Son), then the Spirit who was hovering over the face of the waters and earth brought that Word into manifestation and fulfilment.   When you line up your words and start agreeing and confessing what God has said, the Spirit will go to work to bring every one into total fulfilment.  If you've been expecting God to do something for you this year, do not lose heart - there are still almost two weeks left of this current year, there is still time for your manifestation.

"The same came therefore to Philip, which was of Bethsaida of Galilee, and desired him, saying, Sir, we would see Jesus" – John 12.21 (AV)

I want to spend  the next few days just turning our thoughts to the Scriptures concerning the birth of Christ.  In this final week before Christmas Day all of our thoughts are on the events surrounding Christmas; the carol service, family gatherings, food preparation, last minute gift buying, and Christmas Day itself.  But in all these things let us have the same attitude of the Greeks that we read about in this verse.  Now technically this took place at Passover time, the time of the year we would celebrate Easter, but nevertheless these Greeks had the right attitude, 'Sir, we wish to see Jesus'.  Anytime is a good time to seek Jesus but particularly at Christmas.  We can get so lost in all the other things that occupy our time that in one sense we can become like the innkeeper, we make no room for Jesus.  Take some quality time over the next few days to seek Jesus, to worship and praise Him.  I'm not just talking about going to church, I'm talking about in your home or wherever you may be; be it your car, office or even a prison cell.  The shepherds sought out Jesus and worshipped Him, the wise men sought Him out and came to worship. 'We want to see Jesus' is that your desire - He is the reason for the season.

"A happy heart is good medicine and a cheerful mind works healing, but a broken spirit dries up the bones" – Proverbs 17.22 (Amplified)

One of the greetings that you hear at this time of the year is 'Merry Christmas'.  Did you know that it is really good to be merry? Now you know I don't mean the type of merriment that comes from alcohol or any other substance.  You can be merry without having any substance to induce it - very often these things cause hearts to be broken.  The very fact that Jesus came, God's love gift to you, should be enough to make you merry.  The word translated as merry in this verse means 'joyful, be glad, make merry, rejoicing'.   What most people in the world understand as merry brings on pain and sickness but did you notice that this verse actually says that the merry, rejoicing, joyful heart is like medicine to the body.  It does you good, it works healing as the Amplified says.   The medical profession has actually come into line with the Word of God, for they now tell us that a happy cheerful spirit promotes health.  In some instances it has been known that they have actually got people to laugh (by showing them some funny cartoons etc) to bring healing to their bodies.  Friend, brother, sister, the Word of God works - a joyful, merry heart does do good like a medicine, it is a tonic to the soul.   So go ahead and have yourself a merry Christmas - it will bring healing to your body and health to your bones; and don't forget the 'joy of the Lord is your strength' (Nehemiah 8.10).

"Blessed is she who believed, for there will be a fulfillment of those things which were told her from the Lord" – Luke 1.45 (NKJV)

This verse must be one of my favourite Scriptures, it comes right from the Christmas accounts. Just after Gabriel had brought the announcement of Jesus birth to Mary, she went to visit her relative Elizabeth.  These words were spoken by Elizabeth.  These are words that you should take right into your heart and spirit and meditate upon them today - 'there will be a fulfillment of those things' told you by the Lord.  Get this word inside you today so that faith cometh.  Some of you have been believing for something and have been on the point of quitting and giving up.  My brother, my dear sister, hear the word of the Lord to you today - THERE WILL BE A FULFULLMENT OF THOSE THINGS TOLD YOU BY THE LORD.  Believe it, expect it, it's coming and it's closer than you think.  If God has said it and you believe it, you can take it to the bank that there will be a fulfillment.  God's Word cannot fail, you don't need to have great faith, just believe what God says.

Suggested Additional Reading:   Luke 1.26-56

"Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel" – Isaiah 7.14 (AV)

One of the Isaiah prophecies concerning the birth of Jesus is found here in this verse.  It says that a virgin will conceive and bring forth a Son, and this Son would be called Immanuel.  The name Immanuel literally means ‘God with us’.  The Lord said to Isaiah that this event would be a sign – a sign that God will bring salvation to His people.  In Matthew 1 we read very similar words; “And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name JESUS, for He will save His people from their sins”.  Joseph was a just and devout man who, like many of the Jews, was looking for the Messiah.  When he found out that his soon wife to be was pregnant, was pondering whether to leave her when the angel visited him. The angel told him that the child Mary was to give birth to must be named Jesus.  Jesus means ‘Saviour’ – Jesus is God’s salvation come down to men.  You can receive the salvation of God this Christmas time.  I’m not just talking about the forgiveness of sins, which is a vital part of that salvation, but also all of the benefits that salvation holds.  The word ‘save’ in Matthew 1.21 is sozo, it means ‘to be made whole’ and is understood to include healing, protection, preservation, deliverance and prosperity as well as forgiveness.  Just as God set a rainbow in the sky as a token of His promise never to flood the earth again, so he gave us Jesus, a sign that He will save, heal, protect and prosper you.  Every year at this time, we remember that promise of salvation; but don’t let Him stay in the manger, receive Him and experience the saving power of God today.

Suggested Additional Reading:   Matthew 1.18-25

"For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace" – Isaiah 9.6 (AV)

Another one of the prophecies of Isaiah about the birth of Jesus is found in Isaiah 9.  Yesterday we read that one of His names was to be Immanuel – God with us.  This verse lists five names of Jesus that He was to be known as.  These names show us something of the character and nature of Jesus.  He is Wonderful; Counsellor; Mighty God, Everlasting Father; Prince of Peace.   Each one is worthy of meditation but I don’t have the space here to go into them all individually in depth.  Wonderful – this means miracle, wonder, marvel: He is the miraculous one, the miracle worker. Counsellor – to give sound advice, direction and guidance; probably in, but not exclusive to, a political or military setting.  Mighty God – powerful, mighty and valiant, Almighty God.  This name also declares to us that Jesus is God.  Everlasting Father – this reveals the love and care that He has for us.  He is without beginning or end, so is His love towards us.  Prince of Peace – prince denotes Lord and Master, peace is shalom, that is wholeness, nothing missing.  Jesus is Lord and Master of our wholeness. Meditate on these names of God today; look up some Bible dictionaries, word commentaries and do a word study on them.

Suggested Additional Reading:   Isaiah 9.1-7

"And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid" – Luke 2.9 (NKJV)

When Jesus was born, the skies above Bethlehem were lit up with the glory of God. The glory shone all around them, the radiance of God had come to earth; Jesus, who is the express image of the Fathers glory (Hebrews 1.2-3) had been born.  The Light of the World had come, God’s glory had come to earth.  Many times through the Old Testament we read concerning people like Abraham, Isaac and Joseph that the ‘Lord was with them’ and it is always in connection with manifestations of the glory of God, as the blessing brought prosperity, provision and promotion.  A couple of days ago we saw that Jesus is Immanuel – God with Us, He is the glory of God personified, He is shining all around.  Christmas Day is not so much about the presents, it is not really about family or even the Christmas dinner.  Christmas Day rings out loud and clear – the glory of the Lord is here. 

Suggested Additional Reading:   Luke 2.1-20

"When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy" – Matthew 2.10 (AV)

After Jesus had been born, God set the sign of a star in the sky.  This sign pointed to the birthplace of Jesus.  Wise men from the East saw that star and determined that a king had been born and set out to worship Him.   The star stopped over Bethlehem, right where Jesus was and when these wise men saw the star they rejoiced with exceeding great joy.  If there is one thing that sets Christians out from among everyone else it is this – exceeding great joy.   Joy is a hallmark of Christianity, I don’t mean that warm fuzzy feeling that you get when things are good; I’m talking about real joy, the joy that comes from the Lord.  Don’t confuse joy with happiness; Happiness is a feeling that changes frequently, Joy remains in you and enables you to sing even through the darkest of times.  Note the message of the angel to the shepherds in the fields – ‘behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people’ (Luke 2.10).  When Jesus was born the angel came announcing the good news that brings joy to all men.  People often say that Christmas is the most miserable time of the year; now you just know the person that says that is not saved.  When you know Jesus you have exceeding great joy because you have found the pearl of greatest price; and no one, no brother nor sister, nor any devil in hell can take that joy from you.

Suggested Additional Reading:   Matthew 2.1-12

"And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshiped Him. And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh" – Matthew 2.11 (NKJV)

One of the greatest acts of Christmas is that of giving.  Yes it’s nice to sing the carols, visit friends and family, or eat a sumptuous feast.  All these things are good and have their place in the celebrations, but the greatest of them all is giving of gifts.  I don’t mean the enjoyment of receiving the gifts but rather the giving of them; the Bible says “.. It is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20.35).  Folk often use the wrong measure when looking at being blessed.  They measure blessing by what they receive, you will often hear people say ‘I’ve been blessed’ or they might say ‘I want a blessing’ and at nearly all times those words are associated with receiving something.  It may be they have received a financial gift or pay rise, perhaps they have had a healing touch in their body or they want or have received an emotional high.  Blessing is not measured in what you have received but rather in what you give and minister to others.  Don’t misunderstand me, I’m not saying it is not good to receive and folk do receive ‘a blessing’ but very often what we receive comes as a harvest from our giving – that’s the law of seedtime and harvest, you sow and give and then receive a harvest.  These wise men came and gave worship to Jesus; they opened their treasures to Him, that is they presented their all to Him; and then they gave Him gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.  These gifts are prophetic concerning His kingship, deity and death but how do they relate practically to you and me.  Gold – your possessions, your tithes and offerings; Frankincense – praise and worship (see Hebrews 13.15); Myrrh – your life and service, dying to self and living to serve Jesus wholeheartedly.

Suggested Additional Reading:    Hebrews 13.1-25

"For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision; but faith which worketh by love" – Galatians 5.6 (AV)

There is nothing greater for the Christian than to walk in love, for love is like the cement that holds everything together.  Think of the Christian life like a brick wall, everything you do and believe are like the individual bricks, well love is the cement that bonds them all together to make the wall strong.  Without the cement the bricks will move and shift, become unsteady, and the wall will collapse.  Without love don’t expect anything else in your life to function properly.   Everything in the Kingdom of God works by faith, but faith works by love.  Faith comes by hearing the Word of God and then faith works by love.  You cannot stand in faith for something and at the same time be in unforgiveness.  Neither can you be in faith for a thing and be walking in bitterness and jealousy at the same time.  Love is like a battery that makes our faith work properly;  I wanted to listen to a tape a few weeks ago and although we tend not to use them much today, I got out the tape player.  I put the cassette tape in and pressed the play button. The tape started to play but very soon the playback became slurred and very slow.  The batteries were wearing out – run down batteries cause the tape player to be inefficient.  A lack of love causes your faith to be inefficient.  In 1 Corinthians 12 Paul teaches on the gifts of the Holy Spirit but in the last verse he says that he was going to show them a ‘more excellent way’, then he went on to teach them about love - love is the most excellent way.

Suggested Additional Reading:   Galatians 5.1-26

"Every place on which the sole of your foot treads shall be yours: from the wilderness and Lebanon, from the river, the River Euphrates, even to the Western Sea, shall be your territory. No man shall be able to stand against you; the LORD your God will put the dread of you and the fear of you upon all the land where you tread, just as He has said to you" – Deuteronomy 11.24-25 (NKJV)

As far as I’m concerned this time of the year is a most holy one.  Yes I like Christmas, I like to celebrate the birth of Jesus, I also like to celebrate the resurrection at Easter time.  But for me there is something special about these two or three days in the run up to the New Year.  It is a time when I like to get alone and spend time with God and hear a word from Him for the next year.  So over these next few days we are going to spend some time preparing to go forward as the Spirit leads us, so open up your heart and receive revelation as the Spirit speaks to you and be prepared to move forward in God.  What God spoke to Moses in our verse was similar to what He spoke to Abraham in Genesis 13.  Abraham had left his father’s house and taken his nephew Lot with him.  They were both extremely blessed of God and very soon this caused some arguments and strife between the two families – the land wasn’t large enough to support them both.  So Abraham asked Lot to choose what part of the land he wanted to occupy and Abraham went elsewhere.  Lot chose the best looking verdant pastures (this later turned out to be a mistake). Once Lot had gone, God spoke to Him: Everything he could see with his eyes was going to be his.  God told him to walk through the land and plant his feet on the territory.  That was a faith act that took possession of the land.  Maybe there have been things in this last year that haven’t gone as well as they should have, lift up your eyes, get them off the problems and difficulties and look to what God has promised you.  Now begin by faith to take possession, walk through the land and occupy what is rightfully yours; dispossess the devil and stake your claim for your inheritance.

Suggested Additional Reading:   Genesis 13.1-17

"You crown the year with Your goodness, And Your paths drip with abundance" – Psalm 65.11 (NKJV)

In these last two days before the end of the year, we cannot but help to reflect on what God has done for us and through us over the past twelve months.  The hymn writer penned the following words, “Count your blessings name them one by one, count your blessings see what God has done, Count your blessings name them one by one, And it will surprise you what the Lord has done”.  When we take stock of what God has done over the year, we soon see His goodness and abundance everywhere we look.  This verse says that He crowns the year with His goodness and His paths drip with abundance.  The word crown literally means to encircle – His goodness circles the whole year from the first day right through to the very last day and every day in between.  He never rests from doing good; His paths (His ways) drip with abundance and prosperity.  As this year draws to an end, count your blessings, and give thanks to the Lord for His wondrous goodness to you.

Suggested Additional Reading:   Psalm 65.1-13

"And Enoch walked [in habitual fellowship] with God; and he was not, for God took him [home with Him]" – Genesis 5.24 (Amplified)

Have you ever considered the man of God that we read about in this verse?  The Bible does not mention much about Enoch but what it does say gives us a great insight into the type of man that he was.  Enoch was seventh in descent from Adam in the family line of Seth (see Jude 1.14); He was father of Methuselah, who was the oldest living man; and the Bible tells us that Enoch lived 365 years.  His name means ‘dedicated’ and he certainly lived up to that name, as our verse today sums up his whole life – Enoch walked with God.  Enoch was a man that was dedicated and disciplined to walking with God – that’s faith in action.   This lifestyle pleased God and according to Hebrews 11.5 resulted with him be taken into Glory.  Hebrews tells us that ‘he had this testimony that he pleased God’.  That’s the testimony of God I would like to receive, what about you?  This wasn’t something that Enoch did just once or very occasionally – the Amplified translation tells us that he walked habitually with God – it was his habit, it was his style of living and it pleased God.  He spent time with God in fellowship; he was a man of faith, and a man that was dedicated to following after God.  Why not make a resolution this New Years Eve to be like Enoch, dedicated to following after God.  What a way to end this year; with a determination and resolve to walk with God and to please Him.   Who knows what next year will bring with that attitude and discipline.

Suggested Additional Reading:   Genesis 5.18-24;  Hebrews 11.5-6; Jude 1.14